


Cruelty

by BuddyTheMeanPeacock



Series: Drabbles and Oneshots (DimiClaude) [23]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, M/M, Not quite drunken confessions but close
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuddyTheMeanPeacock/pseuds/BuddyTheMeanPeacock
Summary: The day Sylvain learns how honesty can kill a man
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: Drabbles and Oneshots (DimiClaude) [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561504
Comments: 16
Kudos: 159





	Cruelty

Being in the infirmary has its ups and downs, Sylvain thinks. 

Now mind, having to stay stuck on an uncomfortable bed surrounded by the moans and groans of fellow injured soldiers? Not fun, just about ever. But sometimes the noise gets more interesting than _ugggh_. The nuns can be surprisingly gossipy, for one. It can be pretty harmless, for wartime, but oddly soothing to listen in on the mundane drama. 

But it's usually his fellow bedridden unfortunates that are the source of interest for him. Who spends more time with who, who visits who only the once, who holds hands and who stands back; it's all a large puzzle to figure out who stood where in what relationship, and it's something that tends to occupy Sylvain's thoughts. How close can he get to guessing who are lovers, distant friends, hidden enemies? It's fun, in a kind of morbid way.

Dimitri, theoretically, should be boring to watch by that logic. He's amazingly easy to read - always has been, in a way, but with the whole crazy boar schtick out in the open and _somewhat_ dealt with he's been an even wider open book to read. But, just… he can read that book everyday and still find it amazing.

And now Claude was here. _Wonder how this will go?_

"May I... ask you a question, Claude?"

His king was on the bed to his side, having taken a rather big blow even for him, and was under the influence of pain suppressants. He was awake, but very much out of it. Sylvain was curious to see what came from it with the Alliance leader here.

He saw Claude chuckle and smile, apparently amused by Dimitri's dopey voice. Sylvain knew it was hard to hold back his own little giggle at the sound. "Sure, Your Kingliness."

And... then he watched Dimitri sluggishly raise a hand to Claude's face, cupping it. Sylvain perked up mentally, fighting to keep his body still - _oh? Am I about to see something?_

It very obviously took Claude by surprise too, from the wide-eyed stare on his face.

"Why… did you become even more beautiful?" Dimitri asks, as if that was something you can just ask someone. "How can… you be so cruel? Were you not… satisfied with simply being stunning? Must you be so… radiant?"

Oh damn. Ohhhh damn oh damn oh damn. This was… something. What the hell was he seeing. _He's loving it._

Claude nearly looked shell-shocked by the questions, his mouth hanging wide open. He managed to compose himself a bit soon enough, a wide and toothy if fake smile soon taking over. Another chuckle, way more nervous. "Haha, Your Kingliness, you oughtta warn a guy before you make jokes like that! You sound so serious I almost believed you there."

Sylvain couldn't blame Claude for trying to brush off Dimitri's blazen words because hot damn, they were making _him_ blush. But he knew they were no joke; Dimitri is just like that, and a drugged up loopy Dimitri is evidently even _more_ like that than usual. Sylvain couldn't see his face from his spot on the other bed, but from the pause in Dimitri's words he could _almost_ see the scrunched brow. He _could_ see Dimitri's thumb caress Claude's cheek though.

"Joke…? Claude, I am… serious. Back in the… academy… you were absolutely stunning."

Oh boy. Here it comes.

"Your presence… it used to take the sun's rays… and transform them into its own brilliance. Now… the sun could not hope to match the light you carry with you. Looking at you… I am nearly blinded by your radiance."

Yeeeeah. Wow. Dimitri just says whatever he damn well pleases, and has the nerve to be _serious_ about it too. _Sylvain_ was on fire, and from how red Claude was Sylvain was surprised the wooden chair the leader sat on wasn't burning to ash.

Claude very visibly swallows, lets out a breath of air. "We can't have that! You've only got the one eye, can't very well let it go to waste getting blind looking at me, haha."

Oh, poor Claude. He thinks he can wiggle his way out of this with jokes. Sylvain knew that wouldn't work… and it didn't.

"Claude… if the last image I was granted was of you… I would thank the Goddess for her generosity."

Aaaand that was all Claude could handle. Sylvain can only imagine Dimitri's big doughy smile, but he absolutely did _not_ have to imagine Claude scrambling out his chair, knocking it over.

" _Well_ that's enough talking for today! Gotta get kickin' doing leader man stuff seeyoulater!" The words tumble out in a frenzy as Claude hurried out the room. 

"W-Wait…!" Dimitri calls out, his hand sadly reaching for the door, to no avail. Once Claude left he let his arm fall; Sylvain watched as he nearly _deflated_ into his bed. "Oh…"

Sylvain turned his head away from the scene. He can tell Dimitri what he did when he's in a more lucid state of mind. For now he just… lets what Dimitri said dance around in his head. He can't imagine having them levied toward _him,_ unironically. Hopefully Claude's jumped in the pond by now - and he hopes there's still water left in it if he did. 

_You don't have any mercy at all, Your Majesty._

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Dimitri, you and your brutality honest thoughts are so so fun to write. I get to go wild on the compliments and have it completely within character lmao


End file.
